This table was a little bit of a departure from the way we normally do things here at Cannon Hill— well, actually, there’s nothing about this table that’s little. Fully assembled as you see it here, it measures over four and a half feet wide and more than nineteen feet long. Simply carrying it required everyone in the workshop, and getting all the pieces into position on delivery took more time than I’d frankly like to admit. When the table was in place and we stood back with the interior designer to see it in the space, though, the whole vision really come together, and we’re proud to have made it happen.
The homeowner on this one was getting towards the end of the build process of a waterfront home down on Boston’s South Shore that included a large freestanding barn — complete with kitchen, loft, and fireplace — that they would use for entertaining large groups. The barn had high ceilings, a spacious open floor plan, and an aesthetic that struck the middle ground between rustic and modern. Whatever table we built needed to be sturdy, obviously, but also large aesthetically consistent and able to stand up to all that room.
The designer wanted character, but felt that reclaimed oak was too far down the “rustic” road, so we struck on a compromise: new lumber, but taken only partway through Cannon Hill’s milling process. Rather than seeking the perfectly flat surfaces we typically create, we’d allow marks from saws, plane blades, and chisels to persist in the finished product. We’d allow board edges to meet each other unevenly, and the perimeter of the table would remain rough sawn. Everything got sanded at the higher grits, so that it was smooth to the touch and splinter-free, but we went light on the flattening stages.
What you see here is really two tabletops, butted and held together by removable fasteners called bow ties. Normally we use bow ties on the bottom of tables hold checked lumber in place, but we found that on this piece they were a great way to align the table, help hold it in place, and add character all at once. You can’t ask for much more than that.
Finally, we stained and spray-finished the whole table. The stain that we applied to this oak table was the result of Cannon Hill’s “custom color” program. Tints like this one can be notoriously difficult to get just right, so we’ve developed a system of finish and stain samples that allow our clients to narrow down the options until they’ve found just the right one. No two pieces of wood are exactly the same, so we go to considerable lengths to demonstrate the range of outcomes. It’s all worth it when a piece of furniture just looks exactly at home in a room, even one a dramatic and unusual as this one.
To get a sense of what reclaimed oak furniture looks like, and a sense of the middle zone that this table occupies, check out the link below. Your custom furniture project may not be as massive as this one, but it will receive just as much consideration and attention to detail. If you’re ready to start a conversation about our design process and our build capabilities then fill out the “Contact” form here on our site, email info@cannonhillwood.com, or call 857-567-2089.
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